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Horrible quote from HBO show "VEEP" last night
Did anyone see this show last night? A quote from Julia Louis Dreyfus' character (the Vice President of the US) "The kids had alopecia and the mothers were on crack. It was a freakshow!"
We need to write HBO to tell them that alopecia has NOTHING to do with substance abuse and that we are not "freak shows".
Repulsive!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Karena Moore-Millar on
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Controversy or arrogance?
It amazes me that Kastababy comments have evoked more reaction than the original post. I'm confused what position she is taking as she seems to be doing a lot of "SHOUTING" yet she clearly states she doesn't advocate bullying. Some of the shared views are very useful, yet many people seem to be arguing about winning favour of opinions.
Do Coping strategies and personal philosophies have match?
The comments have started to become very personal which does seem to be steering away from the facts. HBO did knowingly allow these comments to be aired and yes it has (rightly or wrongly) evoked a mixed reaction. I actually welcome a cross-section of opinions in hope of understanding wider perspectives from the Alopecia community...This said, I don't feel some of the comments are being constructive. Guys, I'm slightly disappointed that it's not about communicating our ideas and be motivated others to do something positive with them... I'm concerned this reaction has devolved into a verbal sparing match.
I feel there's strong opinions, but how they have been presented is starting to air on the side of antagonism.
Parenting guidance aside - I think it's useful to "give" people your opinion, but don't ram it down their throats. I can clearly see people are passionate about this whole subject area of humour, Alopecia and children....The BIG questions are for me.....
Who sets the boundaries for acceptability - when can you laugh at a condition?
How do Alopecians want to be represented - Globally?
How do we communicate to the world about the positives of being an Alopecian?
I'm amazed reading all these comments how divided everyone is. One condition doesn't out rank another. Feelings are important, so projecting your negativity or bias opinion on a select community, doesn't win you favours or build relationships.
Having an opinion is great, but please be respectful and value others....you may feel strong and want to tell the world...but don't forget Alopecia can be a lonely condition and being Controversial may gain you some notoriety in the short term - but surely alienating people isn't the best way to bulldoze your way through life????
Being bald gets you noticed, shouting or complaining just switches people off.
HBO have obviously been successful in achieving a reaction. If NO one reacted, what would be the overall effect?
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Permalink Reply by Mark S. Hansen on
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I am a very open minded guy, who has had alopecia universalis for over 40 years. I welcome opinons of all kinds and I hate things like political correctness, where speech is concerned. But bulling, name calling, and ignorance by relating derogatory ufumisims about someone because one does not understand the way someone looks, is always bad, is never, ever, okay, ever.
My childhood teenage years were hell bec of this condition and even into my 40's I have gotten ribbed in front and behind my back, when people thought I was not listening. I know that there are millions of others people who have much, much, much, worse problems than ours. Thank God we don't need telethons to raise money for our condition. But blatant ignorance is as bad as actually having this condition. And this veep thing did not help any.
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Permalink Reply by kastababy on
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Karena,
Thank you for pointing out the error of my ways. I often forget that it is impossible to bring logic and reason to an overly emotional discussion about such a hypersensitive subject. I also forget that my attempts at emphasizing certain words within such an argument is always misconstrued as shouting and forcing an opinion down the throats of those who don't want to be reasoned with.
To clarify the position I have on this issue, let me rephrase what all the other noise in this thread drowned out: I feel that it is ridiculous and beyond the height of political correctness to get offended at a joke made on a prime-time cable television network that the overwhelming majority of people have no access to in the first place. I think that it is beyond the height of arrogance for alopecians of all types to believe -- falsely, I might add -- that of all groups that are perceived as "different", alopecians have a golden ticket of sorts that exempts them from humor made at their expense, or that because their hair is missing that entitles them to being handled with kid gloves like fine china and dealt with on *their* terms. It is an unrealistic expectation that doesn't apply to any other group of people that feels marginalized, and it shouldn't apply to alopecians as a whole. I feel that arguments like the one posed in this thread perpetuate the stereotype the joke highlighted - that we alopecians are all super-sensitive freaks who want special treatment. I feel that just as everyone else manages to get over when jokes are made about them, so should we.
You are absolutely right -- just on account that this thread exists, has achieved its ultimate purpose, which was to generate a reaction to alopecia and the people who live with it as a whole. I am no stranger to the reactions you have witnessed to my remarks by any means. It never ceases to amaze me how many people will try to justify why *they're* allowed to have the opinions they do and why *you're* wrong for disagreeing with them, and be so heated about it when they do. Threads like this one are the reason I stopped blogging and posting on *all* AA support communities online, not just on AW and the other site to which LilyBell is referring. It is simply not worth it to me to reach out to or attempt to relate to other alopecians when my outlook on alopecia and life in general is so radically different, and said alopecians are just as exclusionary, if not more so, than anyone else.
I'm not going to lose any sleep over anything anyone says in this thread or on my page, because I'm not here to win a popularity contest. I'm here to present a more well-rounded view of how the world sees people with alopecia and vice-versa, rather than the quite insulated view that abounds within the online communities. Because you asked, I answered, and I will just leave it at that.
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I respect your honesty and thank you for taking a great deal of time (and effort) to reply in this manner. Making assumptions or generalising is the easiest thing in the world; which we are guilty of.
This is directed to any self-assured Alopecian, I'd like to understand why it is necessary to be part of a wider community when it is difficult to identify with your peers? - What's in it for you (that's the Royal "You")?
Today's post has been an education and I've learnt that NOT all Alopecians want or need sympathy (in any form!)- in fact some seem repulsed by the good intentions of others...PC & Do-gooders!
Being different isn't a bad thing. Learning to laugh at yourself is commendable, but it's not comfortable for everyone....challenge boundaries, as that's what helps shift them...Alopecia isn't a dirty word, just the context which it is used.
Call me a baldy, wiggy, specky four-eyed, spotty Brit....if it helps you to confront your own fears or inadequacies. I'm happy in my skin, but I can recognise it's not that simple for others.
Great reading people's views, so I'll sign off here :-)
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I have had Alopecia Universalis 4 over 40 yrs. I wore a wig for about 30 of those years. About 8 yrs ago I took it off. Now I get double takes everyday, because people are plain ignorant and/or curious. But also bec I hav something that few have ever heard of. It is bad enough that people do not know and even worse, when they associate derogatory terms to you bec they do not understand why one looks the way they do. This Veep crap does nopt help at all. I luv Julia louis dryfus but I will tweet the "Veep" and let them know how stupid they were.
Mark Hansen
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http://www.hbo.com/#/about/contact-us.html/ the link to let them know how it feels to be looked at like a freak
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Just out of curiosity, where were all of you when ABC grouped Georgia Van Cuylenberg's interview about alopecia with other extreme psychiatric maladies such as hoarding and crazy cat people? The night it aired, another episode about progeria aired right after that, but it was an entirely separate episode from the one to which I'm referring. It aired in March.
*crickets chirping*
Yeah, that's what I thought.
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Permalink Reply by Mary on
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Good point. I was really offended by the "extreme maladies" title including AA.
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that just shows how limited she is in on a subject she is talking on that she know nothing about.
i have alopecia,and my mother was never on crack.julia louis dreyfus needs to take out a little and look into alopecia.
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You know she's an actress, not a writer, right? She says the words on the page. And yes, the CHARACTER was talking about something she knows nothing about. That's what that character does.
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